CHCCHILD401A: Identify and respond to children and young people at risk

Descriptor: This unit describes the knowledge and skills required to address duty of care requirements, working within an ethical framework and applying relevant legislation, policies and procedures in responding to children and young people
Employability Skills: This unit contains Employability Skills
Application: This unit applies to workers involved in delivering services to children and young people including: community services, health, policing, juvenile justice, recreation, family services, education, alcohol and other drugs work and mental health

Element	Performance Criteria
Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.	The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.
Implement work practices which support the protection of children and young people	1.1 Identify children and young people at risk of harm by observing signs and symptoms, asking non-invasive questions, being aware of protective issues and using child protection procedures where appropriate 1.2 Respond to disclosure, information or signs and symptoms in accordance with accepted standards, techniques, and legislative obligations 1.3 Comply with lawful instructions, regulations and duty of care in all work activities 1.4 Routinely employ child focused work practices to uphold the rights of children and young peoples to participate in decision-making where it is age appropriate 1.5 Employ communication and information gathering techniques with children and young people in accordance with current recognised good practice 1.6 Ensure decisions and actions taken are within own level of responsibility, work role and legislative requirements 1.7 Maintain own knowledge and skills as required to work effectively and participate in practice supervision processes 1.8 Maintain confidentiality as appropriate 1.9 Provide an appropriate response as determined by organisation procedures, legal and work role obligations
Report indications of possible risk of harm	2.1 Accurately record relevant specific and general circumstances surrounding risk of harm in accordance with organisation procedures, ethics and legal requirements 2.2 Promptly report risk of harm indicators accordance with statutory and organisation procedures 2.3 Work collaboratively with relevant agencies to ensure maximum effectiveness of report
Apply ethical and nurturing practices in work with children and young people	3.1 Protect the rights of children and young people in the provision of services 3.2 Identify and seek supervision support for issues of ethical concern in practice with children and young people 3.3 Develop ethical and nurturing practices in accordance with professional boundaries when working with children and young people 3.4 Recognise indicators for potential ethical concerns when working with children and young people 3.5 Respond to unethical behaviour of others by reporting to the appropriate person

Required Skills And Knowledge

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively perform task skills; task management skills; contingency management skills and job/role environment skills as outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit.
These include knowledge of:

Statutory and policy requirements relating to job role
Ethical obligations as stated in relevant codes of practice, licensing, accreditation registration to professional bodies, service agreements
Ethical approaches that incorporate the conventions on the rights of the child, and human rights
Responsibilities to clearly define worker and client roles and responsibilities in regard to ethical conduct and professional relationship boundaries
State/territory requirements and processes for notifying suspected abuse and reporting process
Child protection system: including reporting protocols, responses to reporting, interagency policies
Organisation guidelines and policies for responding to risks of harm to children and young people
Duty of care responsibilities
Ethical obligations as defined by the job specification and employing organisaiton
Principles of ethical decision-making
Recording procedures appropriate to job role
Common risks to child’s safety
Indicators of the different types and dynamics of abuse including as they apply to age, gender, disability, culture, sexuality
The different types of abuse: serious psychological, physical, sexual, neglect, domestic violence
Impact of risk of harm
Appropriate responses to disclosure
Overview of legal system and it pertains to the job role
Outline of common legal issues as relevant to work undertaken with children and young people such as:
abuse in all forms
domestic and family violence
neglect
exploitation
alcohol and other drugs (AOD) concerns
systems abuse

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

Provide an appropriate response to indications of risk of harm

In addition, the candidate must be able to demonstrate relevant task skills; task management skills; contingency management skills and job/role environment skills
These include the ability to:

Apply indicators of abuse to make judgements about risks of harm
Follow procedures and instructions
Apply principles of ethical decision-making
Maintain professional boundaries in work with children and young people
Provide required reports and records, including effective use of relevant information technology in line with occupational health and safety (OHS) guidelines
Use child focused work practices including:
communication skills
awareness and sensitivity to children and young person's needs
inclusiveness of children and young people in participatory decision-making process
making special allowances to met needs of children and young people
ways of engaging children and young people
observance and presence of children and young people as primary clients
Distinguish between legal and ethical problems
Work within a legal and ethical framework
Apply problem solving and negotiation skills to resolve problems of a difficult nature within organisation protocols

Range Statement

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Lawful instructions and regulation may include:	Restraining orders Supervision and custody orders Legislation
Lawful instructions may include instructions received from:	Licensing authorities Organisation supervisor Courts of Law Police
Child focused work practices	Legislation Policies of organisation Client self determination
Child protection procedures will be determined and defined by:	The specific job role Organisation procedures Interagency agreements Legislation within jurisdictions
Response will be determined by:	Job role and will range from reporting to implementing disciplinary action
Accepted standards include:	State coordinating bodies Interagency agreements and guidelines Protocols defined in legislation Organisation procedures Codes of ethics Practice standards Licensing and accreditation standards
The appropriate person to report suspected risk of harm will vary according to the legislation in the State/territory and organisation policies. The person may be:	Ombudsman State Child Protection Agency Supervisor in the service Individual carer Individual worker

Evidence Guide

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.